This invention pertains generally to ice-dispensing means for refrigerators-freezers. Freezer compartments of refrigerators are known which contain ice-making units capable of producing and storing pieces of ice in predetermined amounts. Ice dispensers are now being provided which include through-the-door ice-delivery passageways so that cubes and crushed ice can be obtained without opening the freezer or refrigrator. An example of this type of dispenser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,273-Alvarez. "Cubes", of course, is the general term now employed for pieces of ice other than crushed, whether they are hexahedral, cylindrical, crescentshaped, or in the form of irregular chunks. The term refers more to the size of the ice piece, four to six cubes generally filling an ordinary drinking glass.
A desirable ice dispenser of the type having a passageway through the refrigerator-freezer door is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,237-Gittelson et al. This dispenser includes a slanting ice-conveying passageway extending from an ice maker storage receptacle, diagonally downwardly through the refrigerator-freezer door to an outlet which opens into a recessed service area in the refrigerator door itself. Since the recessed service area is on the outside of the door, ice is available without the door being opened. As the ice-conveying passageway must be kept closed except during use, to prevent warm air from entering the freezing compartment, a normally closed, closure member is adapted to close the outlet.
Satisfactory operation of dispensers of this type depends to a great extent on the proper operation of the closure member. It was essential that the temperature of the chute normally be below freezing temperatures. Otherwise, discharged cubed and crushed ice melted, stuck to the chute and froze within the chute when the closure member was closed. In order to aid in preventing the chute from being excessively warm during use, the opening of the closure member was synchronized with the operation of the ice ejector. This was by pivotal operation of the closure member.
The closure members of the heretofore utilized ice-dispensing apparatus solved many of the problems which have been described. Nevertheless, they are subject to improvement. These heretofore utilized closure members or doors had a relatively large number of moving parts and were sometimes subject to being displaced from alignment.
It is therefore desirable to provide a closure which is of simple construction and has improved performance.